Macbeth, V.5

Macbeth, line 17:
"She should have died hereafter:
There would have been a time for such a word.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
that struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing."

Molly Foltyn

A Winter's Tale
Polixenes. Say, there be: Yet nature is made better by no mean,
But nature makes that mean: so, o'er that art
Which, you say, adds to nature, is an art
That nature makes. You see, sweet maid, we marry
A gentler scion to the wildest stock;
And make conceive a bark of baser kind
By bud of nobler race. This is an art
Which does mend nature, change it rather: but
The art itself is nature.
(4.3.88)
-Talking about flowers becuase she's been giving flowers to different people
--It is the art that nature makes. Wild+Gentle mate: art and nature.
Goes on to talk about the art of the gardener. wild and unfruly nature=way for humanity to perfect things foudn in nature. The human hand refines.
-Art=agent of nature.
--Birthing, having children, breeding.
-Pure breeds are more desirable.
*play challenges superiority of aristocratic blood.
Nature+art= important for his purposes.

-Komel Soin

Macbeth 1.vii.48-59

Lady Macbeth:
What beast was't then
That made you break this enterprise to me?
When you durst do it, then you were a man;
And to be more than what you were, you would
Be so much more the man. Nor time, nor place,
Did then adhere, and yet you would make both:
They have made themselves, and that their fitness now
Does unmake you. I have given suck, and know
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me;
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums,
And dash'd the brains out, had i so sworn as you
Have done to this.

-Destabilizing of Macbeth's manhood/humanization
-Domestic to Monstrous images of Lady M.

Jason Lee
Discussion 1D

The Tempest 5.1.266-276

Propero:
Mark but the badges of these men, my lords,
Then say if they be true. This mis-shapen knave,
His mother was a witch, and one so strong
That could control the moon, make flows and ebbs,
And deal in her command without her power.
These three have robb'd me; and this demi-devil—
For he's a bastard one—had plotted with them
To take my life. Two of these fellows you
Must know and own; this thing of darkness!
Acknowledge mine.

Tim Dawson, Section 1D

The Tempest 2.1, 149-157

Gonzalo:
I’ th’ commonwealth I would by contraries,
Execute all things; for no kind of traffic
Would I admit; no name of magistrate;
Letters should not be known; riches, poverty,
And use of service, none; contract, succession,
Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none;
No use of metal, corn or win, or oil;
No occupation, all men idle, all;
And women too, but innocent and pure;
No sovereignty-

-Reverse of the normal ways of doing things
-The possibility of utopia on a new island
-Dystopia: characters are always haunted by the reality of dystpia since utopia is unattainable.
-No need for a ruler because humanity is inherently good
-Superiority of nature

Christopher Gee
Discussion 1D

The Tempest (Act 1.2.1-17)

Miranda:
If by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them.
The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch
But that the sea, mounting to the welkin's cheek,
Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffered
With those that I saw suffer! A brave vessel
(Who had no doubt some noble creature in her)
Dashed all to pieces! O, the cry did knock
Against my very heart! Poor souls, they perished!
Had I been any god of power, I would
Have sunk the sea within the earth or ere
It should the good ship so have swallowed and
The fraughting souls within her.
Prospero:
Be collected.
No more amazement. Tell your piteous heart
There's no harm done.
Miranda: O, woe the day!
Prospero: No harm.

Points to focus on:
-passage establishes Miranda as emotional, empathetic
-repetition of "no harm" suggests that everything will work out in the end
-shows Prospero as a figure of power and authority
-ingenue- stereotypical beauty, innocence
(Miranda)

Posted by: Tina Ta, Dis 1H

The Winter's Tale: Act VI. 1. Enter Time and Chorus. Passage to study for final exam.

Time.

I, that please some, try all, both joy and terror
Of good and bad, that make and unfold error,
Now take upon me, in the name of Time,
To use my wings. Impute it not a crime
To me or my swift passage, that I slide
O’er sixteen years, and leave the growth untried
Of that wide gap; since it is in my power
To o’erthrow law, and in one self-born hour
To plant and o’erwhelm custom. Let me pass
The same I am, ere ancient’st order was
Or what is now receiv’d: I witness to
The times that brought them in; so shall I do
To the freshest things now reigning, and make stale
The glistering of this present, as my tale
Now seems to it. Your patience this allowing,
I turn my glass and give my scene such growing
As you had slept between. Leontes leaving,—
The effects of his fond jealousies so grieving,
That he shuts up himself,—imagine me,
Gentle spectators, that I now may be
In fair Bohemia; and remember well,
I mention’d a son o’ the king’s, which Florizel
I now name to you; and with speed so pace
To speak of Perdita, now grown in grace
Equal with wondering: what of her ensues
I list not prophesy; but let Time’s news
Be known when ’tis brought forth. A shepherd’s daughter,
And what to her adheres, which follows after,
Is th’ argument of Time. Of this allow,
If ever you have spent time worse ere now:
If never, yet that Time himself doth say
He wishes earnestly you never may.


Themes and Linguistical Tidbits to remember:
Multiple paradoxes.
Importance of the word custom in line 9 and the courtly address at the end of the passage (issue of law and custom).
Hour glass allusion.
Metadramatic idea that in a play temporality is maleable, and how this is in opposition to idea of the three unities.

Final Review: "Macbeth" Passage (1.7.1-26) by Britta Grayman

"If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well
It were done quickly. If th' assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch
With his surcease success, that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all--here,
But here upon this bank and shoal of time,
We'd jump the life to come. But in these cases
We still have judgment here, that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
To plague th' inventor. This evenhanded justice
Commends th' ingredience of our poisoned chalice
To our own lips. He's here in double trust:
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strop both against the deed; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtues
Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued against
The deep damnation of his taking-off;
And pity, like a naked newborn babe
Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubin horsed
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye
That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on th' other--"

The repetition of "done" signifies the need to complete this deed, yet all the consequences leave the killing of Duncan reveal the deed is not really done. "Success" refers to the motif of "succession." Macbeth imagines the consequences because he is a moral character; he puts opinions on just as he puts on borrowed clothing. This passage also articulates the relationship between act and desire. Macbeth struggles to define masculinity as Lady Macbeth attempts to deconstruct it, for she defines manhood as seizing power. This passage also illustrates the rhetoric device known as polyptoton, that is, the repetition of words that derive from the same root, ie.) "make" and "unmake."

Posted by: Britta Grayman (Discussion 1H)

Macbeth V.ii.20

“Now does he feel his title / Hang loose about him, like a giant’s robe / Upon a dwarfish thief.” (V.ii.20-22)

Clothing, a motif found in Macbeth, is depicted in this passage, spoken by Angusas, ill fitting in regards to Macbeth’s kingship. Here Macbeth is described as a “dwarfish thief” due to his murder of Donalbain. While Macbeth is not diminished in physical appearance he has become stunted in his role as King as a result of obtaining the crown by means of assassination of the previous King of Scotland. He wears the clothing of a giant but they do not fit him as his position of ruler does not fit him. The wrong clothing makes him seem less in his position of King. This passage alludes to the larger theme of kingship in the play, and Shakespeare’s question within the play of what makes a proper King. By displaying Macbeth in clothing which reduces him to a lower station his identity comes into question as does his classification. Macbeth’s best fitting clothing is that of armor which classifies him as a knight or warrior more so than King. It is through the use of onomastics that Macbeth’s designation as King, husband, father and/or knight comes under scrutiny from others in the play and the vehicle through which the theme of kingship comes into question.

Diana Athey

fuwang Section Assignment

Claim:

Lady Macbeth is an integral part of the text. Without Lady Macbeth, there would be no "Macbeth"

Counter:

1) Macbeth was his own agent, he didn't need Lady Macbeth to push him.
2) It was in the Witches prophecy, therefore Lady Macbeth had no direct influence.
3) Lady Macbeth is not integral. She is a rather submissive character, especially by the end of the play.

-Alex Ball
-Marine Dermadzhyan
-Eliza Gerland
-Vanessa Gomez
-Maya Parmer
-Guido Pellegrini

othello

I'll have some proof. My name, that was as fresh as Dian's visage, is now begrimed and black."


The first quote is from act 3, scene 3, lines 402-403. This is Othello speaking to Iago. By this point, Iago has already become successful of making othello's mind run wild and convincing him of Desdemona's infidelity. Evidence provided in this quote that Iago has clearly manipulated othello's mind is when Othello himself says that HE will find evidence which will prove that his wife had done him wrong. Without having any evidence himself yet, only having Iago's words, Othello has already settled the issue. It also foreshadows that he will now be more prone to accuse Desdemona with any opportunity that erupts.
What I also found interesting is how his flesh, which he claim was fresh as Dian's Visage (chaste), is now black. Eventhough the color of his skin has always been the same, it has not changed, and has always been black, exposes a possible stereotype Othello holds toward black himself. Although he has always been black, he obviously did not view himself as so. This whole time, holding a high position in society, he has never considered himself as black. Of course he knew so, but the fact that he was able to surpass the biases held against him, he considered himself something else. He was able to rise above, and in that, his manner became nonblack. Now, angry because of Desdemona's alleged infidelity, he has come back to his "uncivilized" self. He has been done wrong and now he will do her wrong. This wrong that he plans to do, obviously a bad characteristic, makes him think about blackness. Othello, himself, associated lowliness with blackness.

-jessica munoz

Othello, 3.4.53-55

Othello: That’s a fault. That handkerchief /Did an Egyptian to my mother give/She was a charmer and could almost read/The thoughts of people. She told her, while she kept it/ ‘Twould make her amiable and subdue my father/Entirely to her love.

By scene 4 in Act 3, the characters in Othello have almost entirely succumbed to the chaos and darkness inherent in the morally-luminal Cyprus locale. Iago’s manipulations sank into the psyches of Cassio, Desdemona, and Othello respectively, causing everyone to question motivations, honesty, and reputation. The question of the origin of Othello’s handkerchief is important, as it addresses anxieties concerning “the other” and magical qualities. From the beginning of the play, Othello’s contemporaries describe him as a magician, a pirate/thief, capable of “tricking” Desdemona into loving him. In this passage, Shakespeare’s audience receives their first validation that perhaps Othello actually is (or was) involved in “old-world” trickery or magic. The catch here, however, lies in the fact that the handkerchief secures a man’s love for a woman. Othello as a play discusses the inability to reign in female sexuality – this motif is not validated by attempts by a female to control male sexuality. Othello gives Desdemona the handkerchief with the hope of controlling her, despite her honest and virginal disposition, and ironically ends up distrusting her faithfulness based on external male homosocial pressures. The handkerchief simply does not yield its intended purpose when Othello uses it – reiterating Shakespeare’s recurring discussion of women’s inherent unfaithfulness.

- Erin Pushkin
Waldo, Section 1D

Iago's Soliloquy, 1.1 lines 40-47.

"I follow him to serve my turn upon him.
We cannot all be masters, nor all masters
Cannot be truly followed. You shall mark
Many a duteous and knee-crooking knave
That, doting on his own obsequious bondage,
Wears out his time, much like his master's ass,
For nought but provender, and when he's old, cashiered.

In this soliloquy, Iago uses the discourse of service to illustrate that, philosophically, he lays at the center of his own world. While there are people who are loyal and dutiful, they are only fools, and he wants his choices and actions to be of his own decision. Unlike his “master’s ass” who only work for food and clothing, in “obsequious bondage”, Iago’s service is for his own purposes and ends. Because this soliloquy occurs at the beginning of the play, it sets up the idea that through his self-centered philosophy, manipulative nature, and lack of loyalty, Iago is the mastermind behind the play’s action and the cause of the character’s future destruction.

Molly Foltyn
Waldo, 1H

King Lear 1.1.120

Lear: Let it be so. Thy truth, then, be thy dower,
For by the sacred radiance of the sun,
The mysteries of Hecate and the night,
By all the operations of the orbs
From whom we do exist and cease to be,
Here I disclaim all my paternal care (1.1.120-125)

Lear’s condemnation of Cordelia characterizes the extreme offense to which he takes Cordelia’s truthful speech. Lear takes his words to a cosmic level, invoking the “sacred radiance of the sun” and “the operations of the orbs” to bear witness to his disowning of Cordelia. The allusion to Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, furthers the gravity of Lear’s statements and suggests a sense of evil in Cordelia’s failure to promise Lear all her love. Lear also philosophizes existentially about “whom we do exist and cease to be,” implying Cordelia will ‘cease’ to be his daughter and he ‘cease’ to be her father. These observations foreshadow the changing of identities that will ensue throughout the play—Lear will cease to be a king, Lear will go mad, and both Cordelia and Lear will cease living.
The mention of Lear’s “paternal care” raises questions of the intimacy of Lear and Cordelia’s relationship. Lear’s relinquishment of his “care” appears to be simply the rescinding of his land offer and the dowry for her wedding. Though Goneril and Regan’s preceding speeches delight Lear for their promises of love and devotion, Lear’s only rewards to reciprocate these promises are monetary. Further, as Cordelia suggests, Regan and Goneril’s promises to Lear are unreasonable and also artificial, making the entire concept of Lear’s abdication an exercise in artificiality. Though Lear appears extremely angry with Cordelia for her defiance, Lear’s punishment does not reflect the father/daughter relationship but rather the king/subject relationship, as in lecture we discussed Lear’s treatment of his family as subjects. Lear’s elevation of his condemnation of Cordelia to cosmic and existential proportions further illustrates his awareness that Cordelia has publicly defied him and he must counter with a more resounding and seething conviction to exert his royal dominance before Kent and the other attendants.

-Tim Dawson, Section 1D

King Lear Act 3, Scene 4, lines 23-27

"Prithee, go in thyself; seek thine own ease.
This tempest will not give me leave to ponder
On things would hurt me more. But I'll go in.
[To the Fool] In boy; go in first.- You houseless poverty-
Nay, get thee in. I'll pray and then I'll sleep."

In this passage, Lear urges both Kent and the Fool to enter the hovel in order to escape the danger of the storm. He tells them that he will remain outside to pray for a while.

There is a drastic change in the way Lear acts toward Kent and the Fool. When we are first introduced to Lear, he lives out his sacramental kingship to the fullest. He commands and expects to be obeyed. He believes his desires to be the most important, and everyone else must put theirs on hold. No one is above him, not even his trusted friend Kent, whom he banishes. In this passage, Lear puts Kent’s needs before his own. Lear’s diction reveals that he has transformed into a compassionate human being. Beginning with the word “prithee,” Lear urges Kent to “go in thyself” and to “seek thine own ease.” Lear uses the word “prithee” to express a polite request. This stands in contrast to the imperative tone that he once had with others. Prefacing his request with “prithee” adds gentility and compassion to his words. Furthermore, Lear repeats two different forms of “you” to emphasize his genuine concern for Kent’s comfort and safety.

Lear also speaks to the Fool much more compassionately. He partakes in the fellowship of a human with a human rather than that of a king with a clown. Had he still seen the Fool as a clown for the purpose of his own entertainment, he would not have placed the Fool’s safety above his own. By referring to the Fool as a “houseless poverty,” Lear reveals the pity he has on the Fool. The dashes that break up the King’s plea suggest that the Fool protests to going into the shelter first. Thus, Lear is insistent in placing his well-being below the Fool’s.

Ironically, Lear does not start acting compassionately toward Kent and the Fool until after he has slipped into insanity. Two scenes before this in III, iv, 68, Leer admits that his “wits begin to turn.” Only through his insanity is Leer able to drop his attitude of arrogant self-importance. It takes suffering for him to attain compassion. In this passage, Shakespeare is criticizing the idea of sacramental kingship. He suggests that sacramental kingship isolates a monarch emotionally and psychologically. Thus, he is prone to make mistakes concerning humans' needs. Indeed, Lear was unaware of other people’s needs before. It is only when he falls from his position of royalty that he is able to genuinely connect to other humans.

Christopher Gee

Discussion 1D

T.A.: Amanda Waldo

Measure for Measure Act I Scene IV

Lucio: Assay the power you have.
Isabella: My power? Alas, I doubt.
Lucio: Our doubts are traitors,
And makes us lose the good we oft might win,
By fearing to attempt. Go to Lord Angelo;
And let him learn to know, when maidens sue,
Men give like gods, but when they weep and kneel,
All their petitions are as freely theirs
As they themselves would owe them.
Isabella: I'll see what I can do.

In this passage from Measure for Measure, Lucio has gone to the convent to ask Isabella to plead for her brother Claudio's life. What proceeds is a conversation discussing the power of women in Shakespeare and probably of the contemporary society in general. The bulk of the passage comes from Lucio, attempting to convince Isabella over her power over men quite simply because she is a woman. She begins by saying she "doubts" she has any power over someone like Angelo, to which Lucio replies that "Our doubts are traitors,/And makes us lose the good we oft might win". This speech not only speaks to Isabella's potential power over Angelo but also can be viewed as a critique of her decision to become a nun. Isabella is often viewed as the model of purity in Measure for Measure; she makes it her duty to keep herself as far from temptation as possible. Here Lucio is questioning that logic by replying that if she always doubts her own power as a woman (both sexually and her own power to resist temptation) that no good will ever come of it.
The passage also paints a universal picture of men as a gender who cannot resist the pleas of a woman. Up to this point, Lord Angelo has been portrayed as cold, calculating and emotionless. Lucio portrays this lack of emotion as ignorance: "...let him learn to know, when maidens sue/Men give like Gods, but when they weep and kneel,/All their petitions are as freely theirs/As they themselves would owe them." Here is the passage where Lucio's belief in the power of women is truly revealed and confirmed throughout the rest of the play. While still recognizing that men still have the official "power" in society by characterizing the desires of woman as "As they themselves would owe them", he claims that if she but pleads to Lord Angelo that he like any other man will "give like Gods". Lucio seems to be juxtaposing both the supposed power of men in society and their weakness in regards to women at this point. By saying they have the power to "give like Gods" he reveals that men (especially those like Lord Angelo) have an abundance of wealth and power that is their alone to designate. He then follows that by saying that if a woman truly desires any of these things all she needs to do is "weep and kneel" and she can have as much as she wants. So while men may have the state-issued power that contemporary society reserved solely for them, they are helpless to defend against the "weaker" gender at any given time.
The passage from Claudio is also surrounded by two passages from Isabella which reveal her knowledge of such power but an aversion to recognizing and utilizing it. She first says she "doubts" she has such power, but as Lucio continues to speak it seems that she recognizes that what he says is true. Whereas before Lucio speaks she "doubts", after he speaks she replies "I'll see what I can do". Isabella has entered the convent in order to avoid the temptations of the world, but she is being asked to go converse with a man and use her femininity as a woman to persuade him. Lucio is also comparing the power men can give to that which she would receive in the convent. By saying men will "give like Gods" he is juxtaposing what she would receive through prayer in the convent and what men on the outside would give her if she only asked. Isabella ends the passage by stating: "I'll see what I can do" which seems to be her own recognition that the power Lucio is speaking of is something she is aware of and reluctantly willing to use to save her brother.

Richard Keeling
T.A. Fuson Wang

Angelo's soliloquy of Act 2.4.1-7 of "Measure for Measure."

Joey Henry

English 142b: Discussion 1H/ TA: Amanda Waldo

Monday, May 05, 2008

“When I would pray and think, I think and pray

To several subjects. Heaven hath my empty words,

Whilst my invention, hearing not my tongue,

Anchors on Isabel: Heaven in my mouth,

As if I did but only chew His name,

And in my heart the strong and swelling evil

Of my conception”

This quotation is an extraction from Angelo’s soliloquy from Act 2.4 1-7 of William Shakespeare’s play, “Measure for Measure.” Professor Cunningham, I believe, discussed this passage on the second day of lecture covering this play. Angelo’s language stresses the play’s thematic importance of the ineffectiveness of words. For example, Angelo says: “Heaven in my mouth, / As if I did but only chew His name,” and this quotation shows Angelo’s utter frustration of Isabella’s lack of words & vagueness of intent of her speech. Angelo and Isabella in 2.2, engage in a lengthy and tense conversation in regards to liberating Claudio from Angelo’s proposed death-sentence. Here, Angelo mentions God, or Heaven, (line 4) to articulate to a large extent the dichotomy between language & meaning. In particular, Angelo is referring specifically to his frustrating conversation between himself and Isabella two scenes prior. While this passage is admittedly a little difficult to decipher, I am assuming that Shakespeare with Angelo’s opening monologue in 2.4 wants to demonstrate the play’s power of language in terms of its ability to persuade or mislead particular characters.

Both of the male characters, Angelo & Lucio, conversing with Isabella in 2.2 acknowledge on different terms of how Isabella’s sexuality potentially can be exploited to persuade others. For example, Lucio occasionally interrupts the conversation of 2.2 & indirectly focuses on Isabella’s femininity to Angelo as a possible means of persuasion. Angelo, on the other hand, remains unclear about Isabella’s true intention behind her words, & subsequently brings up the possibility of sexual intercourse with her as an equal exchange for the liberation of her brother, Claudio. Both confused, Isabella & Angelo cannot negotiate a deal, & subsequently in 2.4.1-7, Angelo’s opening soliloquy, mentioning God with Heaven emptying his words, & Heaven in his mouth, expresses his utter confusion and frustration with Isabella’s speech.

King Lear I.2

Edmund’s true nature comes to light during the second half of his soliloquy on bastards. While his opening lines lament the nature of his place in society as a bastard and are cause for sympathy, the path that he eventually takes, choosing to pursue his own interests at the cost of his brother and father’s wellbeing, ultimately overrides any sympathy his initial words evoke. Certainly he is a product of the society into which he is born, but his decision to strive for his own gains without regard for the safety of his family is inexcusable and turns him into a creature of evil. There is no question that Edmund is conflicted, but his gungho attitude with regard to his own ascension is unnerving at best.

Dustin Fong

King Lear, Act I.1, lines 256-267

FRANCE
Fairest Cordelia, that art most rich being poor,
Most choice forsaken, and most loved despised,
Thee and thy virtues here I seize upon.
Be it lawful I take up what's cast away.
Gods, gods! 'Tis strange that from their cold'st neglect
My love should kindle to inflamed respect.
Thy dowerless daughter, king, thrown to my chance,
Is queen of us, of ours, and our fair France.
Not all the dukes of wat'rish Burgundy
Can buy this unprized precious maid of me.
Bid them farewell, Cordelia, though unkind.
Thou losest here, a better where to find.

Earlier in this scene, Lear virtually disowns Cordelia and both objectifies and commodifies her. This is evident when he tells Burgundy, "But now her price is fallen" (202). Burgundy likewise sees Cordelia not as a potential partner but as a commodity when he requests that Lear "Give but that portion which yourself proposed" (47).

In contrast, this quote by France demonstrates his love for Cordelia and his absence of desire for selfish economic gain. France heavily uses the pairing of opposite words and phrases to convey this. By stating that Cordelia "art most rich being poor," France notes that Cordelia will profit by gaining his genuine love, despite being monetarily poor from being disowned by her father. In contrast, if she had married Burgundy, she would have been poor in terms of both money and love. France describes her as "most loved despised." By drawing attention to Lear's lack of love for his daughter, France is able to highlight his own love for Cordelia. Similarly, he contrasts Lear's "cold'st neglect" for Cordelia to his own "inflamed respect" for her, to further emphasize his ability to love her without regard for how little she is valued by others. Finally, France states to Cordelia, "thou losest here, a better where to find" (13). This emphasizes that while Cordelia has lost her relationship with her father, and the opportunity to marry Burgundy, she is still gaining a new life with France. By stating that Cordelia is both losing and gaining in her life, he counteracts upon King Lear's earlier description of Cordelia as an object and humanizes her as one who can possess love.

Fools and Kings

King Lear I.4, lines 114-130

FOOL Mark it, nuncle.
Have more than thou showest,
Speak less than thou knowest,
Lend less than thou owest,
Ride more than thou goest,
Learn more than thou trowest,
Set less than thou throwest;
Leave thy drink and thy whore,
And keep in-a-door,
And thou shalt have more
Than two tens to a score.

KENT This is nothing, fool.

FOOL Then ‘tis like the breath of an unfee’d lawyer –
you gave me nothing for’t. Can you make no use of
nothing, nuncle?

LEAR Why, no, boy. Nothing can be made out of noth-
ing.


The Fool’s song stands out from the surrounding text because of its sing-song rhythm and rhyme. Just as the shift from prose to verse (and vice versa) points to the importance either of a character in terms of status or of the message within the respective lines, the Fool’s characteristic songs convey significant insight into Lear’s situation. In addition, they contain a great deal of reason and wisdom, that which Lear apparently lacks. This construct ironizes Lear’s character with regard to the Fool by effectively subverting the presumptions of what each one should be; Lear, the king, shows himself a fool, while the Fool speaks the wisdom that a king should possess.
This reversal of roles parallels the situation with Lear and his daughters, Regan and Goneril. Having pared his kingdom and power betwixt the two, Lear leaves himself at their charge, positioning him as a child charged by his children. The Fool asks Lear, “Can you make no use of nothing nuncle?” Lear answers that naught comes from naught, just as he said of Cordelia’s initial response to his question of love. Ironically, his actions prove the statement true, in ways he likely did not fathom. The two daughter’s to which he gives everything have nothing for him, at least not in terms of real love or concern (in spite of their speeches). In banishing Cordelia and giving up his wealth and power, he loses everything, leaving himself with nothing, a result of whim and anger, anger produced by nothing (Cordelia’s truthful and appropriate response) interpreted as something (again, ironically- if nothing be the lack of something- nothing, here as lack of love).

~Katlyn Rodriguez